1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to intravascular surgery, and more particularly, to a system and apparatus with mapping capabilities to deliver a therapeutic device to a targeted location within the blood vessel of a patient.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently many minimal invasive intravascular medical procedures are performed blind or without direct vision by the physician. As a result, the physician performs the procedure without having a detailed knowledge of the exact location in which to perform a particular intravascular therapeutic treatment. An example of such a procedure is renal denervation.
In renal denervation, the complete renal artery is ablated with several ablation electrodes in parallel to achieve the blockage of the nervous system around the renal artery. Typically, during renal denervation, the site of the procedure within the renal artery is located through X-ray and/or ultrasound. Thus, there is no direct knowledge of the exact location of the critical nerve, and many times this can result in immense pain to the patient.
It would therefore be advantageous to have an intravascular delivery system that would allow the precise mapping of critical nerve signals within a blood vessel, so as to enable a physician to locate the best and exact location or site to perform a particular therapeutic treatment, which then enables the introduction of a therapeutic device, such as an ablation catheter, or the delivery of a therapeutic drug to that site or location. The localized treatment would be more effective, allowing less energy (and or drug) to be used to be effective, and would result in less pain and side effects for the patient.